Wow, I'm glad I learned the english words for "samuri", "geisha", "ninja", "harikari", and "sushi".posted by delmoi at 9:29 PM on April 17, 2003

Somewhere in the labyrinthine depths of the Enigmatic Mermaid's undersea domain [as seen on television] is a link to the worst English-language text ever devised. But damned if I can find it, in my inebriated state. You'll have to ask the mysterious Iemanjá herself.posted by hairyeyeball at 9:45 PM on April 17, 2003

I'm too lazy to go rooting through the Mermaid's archives, but I'm betting it was English As She Is Spoke, a 19th-century phrasebook that quickly achieved legendary status (Mark Twain was a big fan; he wrote an introduction to a differently titled edition). Here's a wonderful comparison of the phrasebook's versions to Babelfish. Enjoy!posted by languagehat at 6:49 AM on April 18, 2003

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